Spike



W. RAUTENSTRAUCH.

SPIKE.

APPLICATION FILED APILZQ, |920.

1,367,203. Patented Feb. 1,1921.

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ATTORNE UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SPIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 1, 1921.

p Application led April 28, 1920. j Serial No. 377,210.

To all fr0/wm it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER RAUTEN- srnAUoH, a citizen of the United States of America, residing in the borough of Fort Lee, Bergen county, New Jersey, have invented new and useful Improvements in Spikes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to spikes, particularly railroad spikes, and has as a principal object the formation of a spike with a large surface favorably disposed foi1 engaging the fibers of a tie into which it is driven and thus capable of exerting great holding power. (lther objects are to provide a spike having this characteristic which shall also be of equal or greater strength for its weight than the spikes commonly in use; and one which may be made at no greater manufacturing cost than the ordinary types of spike; and which may be driven with the same ease and in the usual manner with a sledge.

lith these general objects 1n view, and such other minor objects as appear from this specification, my invention consists in the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereindescribed and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

The drawings show a preferred embodiment of my invention, similar reference characters designating corresponding parts in all views. In these drawings,

Figure l shows a preferred form of spike in side elevation,

l`ig. 2 is a section approximately on the line 2-2 of Fig. l, and

Fig. is a longitudinal section on the line 3-3 of Fig. l.

Referring to the drawings, the spike con sists of a head l, which may be of any suitable type, and a shank 2, which is formed with the metal disposed so as to afford a large lateral holding surface as compared to the cross-sectional area of the shank, the crosssection being preferably of such shape as to give the spike a maximum resistance to bending. This end may be attained by disposing Vthe metal of the shank substantially in two or more planes, for instance, by mak ing the shank of T section, in which case the metal lies substantially in two planes; or of I or channel section, in which cases it is disposed in three planes, or of X section, regular or irregular, in which case it may be disposed in four planes. I prefer the I section as illustrated comprising a web portion 3 and flanges 4. The lower end of the spike may be sharpened, preferably approximating a chisel point 5. i

1n order to further increase the holding power of the spike, the opposed edges 6 of the anges l may be tapered as shown, so that as the spike is'driven, the fibers of the tie which are encompassed by the lianges are gradually compressed, and thus caused to exert a greater pressure against the inwardly faced holding surfaces of the flanges. I

A. still further increase in the holding power may be attained by forming corru gations on the holding surfaces, as the corrug-ations 7 on the opposed faces of the flanges 4.

The spike is used in the ordinary manner, being simply driven by a sledge hammer or other means into a tie; but when thus driven, because of the amount and disposition of the holding surface, it holds against greater loads, and in normal use does not loosen as rapidly or require the same amount of attention from the trackwalker as the ordi nary spike. With the metal disposed as de scribed, the spike when driven does not crush and injure the fibers to the sameextent as with ordinary spikes, with the result that the tie grips the spike more securely.

Having now described m 1 invention, I claim and desire to secure by lretters Patent:

l. A spike comprising a head and a shank, the shank having longitudinal flanged portions arranged with a face of one portion opposed to a face of another, said faces tapering toward each other at the top.

E2'. A spike comprising a head and a shank, saidshank comprising a longitudinal web portion, and longitudinal flange portions adjacent each edge of said web portion, said. il ange portions having opposed faces in clined toward each other toward the head -end of the spike, and said head being arranged to project laterally of the spike in the direction of said web portion.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this s eciiication.

WALT R RAUTENSTRAUCH. 

